Up in Flames: Car Fire Leads to Arrest of Westchester County Woman’s Ex-Husband

Relationships are complicated aren't they? Well the obvious answer based on the headline here is yes. People can certainly do some crazy things when relationships come to an end and yeah some people can even hold a grudge towards their former partner but "allegedly" setting fire to your ex's car, is definitely on the list of things you SHOULDN'T do.

That is the exact scenario we have today as one New York man is now facing charges for allegedly setting his ex-wife's vehicle on fire.

Car Fire in New Rochelle

The incident in question reportedly took place back on Sunday February 16, 2025 in the Westchester County City of New Rochelle. According to the press release from the New Rochelle Police Department, it was approximately 12:47pm when New Rochelle officers responded to reports of an auto fire.

New Rochelle Police and members of the New Rochelle Fire Department arrived on the scene to a parking garage located at 325 Huguenot Street. The car fire was quickly discovered, a 2024 BMW owned by a building resident and it was quickly extinguished.

Once the fire was dealt with by fire officials, an investigation began into what the incident. The results of that investigation carried out by New Rochelle Detectives identified the victim's ex-husband as a suspect. Later on February 21, 2025, Detectives obtained a search warrant for the the ex-husband's residence in the Bronx and his vehicle.

Warrant Executed, Arrest and Charges

Days after obtaining the warrant, Detectives executed it at the Bronx residence on February 25, 2025. Law enforcement searched the apartment but would later find the suspect and place him under arrest off-scene without incident.

The suspect ex-husband was identified as 34-year old Hari Valdez and he was officially charged with the felony crimes of Arson in the 3rd Degree and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree.

Get our free mobile app

During the process it was discovered that Valdez had multiple active warrants for his arrest. In total, Valdez had six (6) active warrants for his arrest all out of Croton, New York. After being processed, Valdez was released under his own recognizance from New Rochelle Court, but immidiately after he was taken back into custody by the Croton Police.

Previous Stories: Former Westchester County Attorney Arrested and Charged for Alleged Theft

The press release did not divulge the identity of the female victim in the incident and likewise it was not stated when the suspect is next expected to be in court for this incident.